Monday, May 26, 2014

HI and...Where do you put your STUFF?!?!



Taking a quick break from the arrival of summer and the cutest guy on earth (who, PS is 8 MONTHS OLD NOW!!) to get back to my roots and post about decor..a dilemma really.

The Living Room has been on my to-do list for a loonnggg time (i.e. this post from a year and a half ago...woops). There were a lot of little bits completed here and there (gallery wall, map artwork, media stand, chair)…but the coffee table and an area rug are still the bane of my existence. The Mr. has given me a deadline of the end of my mat leave to GET.IT.DONE.

Maybe if I keep hemming and hawing I can extend my leave?!?! Kidding. 

Sort of.

First things first…the coffee table.

This is what we are living with…it came from my old apartment, to an apartment we shared, to our house. It’s beyond time to get rid of it. It’s IKEA and it’s been with us for over 7 years - definitely reaching the end of its lifespan. 

 (this is a photo before the floors were done...but sadly aside from the addition of curtains, a few playmats and a LOT of toys, the room hasn't changed)

The coffee table shelf doesn’t realllyyy stay up all the time (and it’s terrifying when it slams down)…with Owen pawing everything it’s really not safe to keep it, and it’s not right for the space. BUT it provides storage (obviously we have stuff all over the top of it too in real life).

I get that we probably won’t want open storage in a month or so when Owen is really on the move. We also need something that is friendly to his adventurous self, probably something round or an upholstered table so he doesn’t bonk his head a million times on sharp corners.

via Alanna Cavanagh (via Globe and Mail)


But here's the question: If you don’t have storage in your coffee table where do you put your STUFF?? 

Where do you put mail? Bills? Things that need your attention but you’re too lazy to get to it right now? Paper and pens for writing out to do lists or sketching basement reno’s?

Where do you put all the STUFF??

10 comments:

Nicole said...

I have a storage ottoman for a coffee table in my basement. I LOVE it. I have two photo trays on top for setting drinks on, etc. I also keep a pen, the remotes, that sort of thing on the trays. When I need to open the top and get inside I just move the two trays, instead of gathering all the things one by one. I don't have a coffee table upstairs so I have a decorative plate on the end of my sofa table where I put papers that need to be dealt with. It keeps them all in one place and works pretty well. I also really love the plate so that is a good motivation to deal with the papers and re-expose the plate quickly.

Nicole said...

I have a storage ottoman for a coffee table in my basement. I LOVE it. I have two photo trays on top for setting drinks on, etc. I also keep a pen, the remotes, that sort of thing on the trays. When I need to open the top and get inside I just move the two trays, instead of gathering all the things one by one. I don't have a coffee table upstairs so I have a decorative plate on the end of my sofa table where I put papers that need to be dealt with. It keeps them all in one place and works pretty well. I also really love the plate so that is a good motivation to deal with the papers and re-expose the plate quickly.

LifeBegins@Thirty said...

I thought about upholstered as well but a) I am that gross girl who puts her feet on the table and b) I can never promise that Luca's hands are clean enough at all times to avoid getting stuff on the ottoman. Plus I eat in front of the tv all the time. haha

We don't have storage in the coffee table- we put that stuff in the tv stand.

Nicole said...

To add to my comment about my storage ottoman. It's upholstered with faux leather so it's get a good wipe down regularly. I also put my feet up and would be hesitant of other fabrics.

Amelia said...

I think you could get one of those fabric ottoman's with a top that lifts up for storage, but I agree with Janice - I fear the upholstered ottoman bc Hannah manages to get enough food and dirt on our couch and pillows already haha. We store our stuff in a bin next to the couch (it's tucked out of the way so you can't see it - Hannah's never even noticed) and in a basket on top of the fridge. Basically, we've got baskets and bins all over the place ;)

Camille said...

I'd go for a sleek round table that can be easily wiped off -- will be great for cars and trucks, legos, coloring, and board games later down the line. If you can find something with a shelf underneath, even better. And then why not invest in a great nice looking big basket for toys? It can sit off to the side of the room somewhere. When my twins were babies/toddlers we also put a shelf up behind the sofa. It ran the entire length and turned out to be a great spot to put lamps, cups of coffee and other things we wanted to keep away from inquiring little hands. You could also make a nice stack of mags/books and get a little decorative box or two in which to put remotes/paper pencils for the basement reno sketches. :)

Dayna@Inspiration for Decor said...

I think a round table will break up some of the "blockiness" in the room and its great for little ones to cruise around. Something like this:
http://www.eq3.com/ca/en/p26588/tate-coffee-table , so you can also put a basket or canvas toy bags underneath. As for the mail/pens/papers etc., the days of storing that stuff at baby/toddler height may be over ;) We keep all that stuff in a corner in the kitchen now.

Stephanie Fazio (aka lealou) said...

Get rid of the stuff! Kidding, sort of ;). I have a mid-century modern table without a shelf and I don't keep anything but a few magazines on it mainly because of the kids. I just recently put a basket of books under it for the kids, but other than that the mail comes in and goes on the kitchen counter and then in recycling. My answer is get the table you want and then get baskets for the stuff!

Shannon said...

desk! and my new behind the light switch thingy doodle...and upstairs desk...nightstand also a biggie!!!

Michelle said...

I have carved out an "office" area on a shelf in one of the kitchen cupboards. I have a mail sorter, pens, pencils and a magazine sorter for each family member's "to do" papers and important notices.
It's up high enough that little hands can't reach it (yet!).

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